"Making a living? That's one thing. Making a difference? That's everything."
Meet Sam Tejada, founder of Liquivida and former firefighter whose unwavering dedication to public service led him down an unexpected path of wellness advocacy.
In the midst of chaos and crisis, heroes emerge, their courage etched in the annals of history. Yet, for Sam, heroism transcends the battlefield or burning buildings; it manifests in a steadfast commitment to improving lives long after the flames have dimmed.
Join us as we delve into Sam’s remarkable story, tracing his evolution from rescuer to visionary, and exploring the profound impact of his mission to ignite change and foster wellbeing in communities far and wide.
Name: Sam Tejada
Company: Liquivida
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Table of Contents
Can you tell me more about yourself?
Sam Tejada: Living a purposeful and meaningful life has always been at the core of who I am, and I feel that my focus on health and wellness has been a part of my DNA since I was an adolescent.
I didn’t want to simply make a living, I wanted to make a difference. Becoming a firefighter/paramedic at age 19 certainly seemed like the perfect path to fulfill that mission. I am proud to have served my community in that capacity for 12 years. Upon retiring, I dedicated my efforts full time to Liquivida, the company I founded while simultaneously working as a firefighter.
I’m a person who strongly believes in the value of relationships and collaboration, and over the years I have developed strong ties and initiatives with many of the other leaders in my industry. The wellness industry has seen significant growth over the past decade, and I am proud to be part of reshaping the health and wellness landscape.
I was recently named Chairman of the American IV Association’s Leadership Advisory Board. This Board will play a pivotal role in unifying, shaping and driving the IV Hydration Therapy industry forward safely, with a commitment to oversight, growth, clinical excellence and quality improvement.
I am passionate and driven to increase awareness about the enormous benefits of preventative approaches to health and wellness and enjoy sharing my insights at professional speaking engagements and industry conferences, on podcasts and broadcast television segments, and in feature articles in countless publications. As a leader in this industry, if there’s an opportunity to educate and inspire, it’s my responsibility to do just that.
My future ambition is to get involved in local politics, enhance local businesses and my community, and then move on to state level politics, where I can hopefully affect legislation impacting business and the wellness industry. That is the ultimate goal, at least right now.
This growth journey has led me to places that years ago, I could not have imagined. I’m looking forward to the places that I will be ten years from now that I could not have possibly envisioned today.
What inspired you to found your company, Liquivida?
Sam Tejada: It was my work as a firefighter that opened my eyes wide to the benefits of alternative types of healthcare and to the glaring disparity between the quality of healthcare services accessible to people from different socioeconomic groups.
I worked in two very different worlds. In the firefighter/paramedic role, I would often be helping the same people I’d helped the week before with the same problem, even though we tried to educate them on how to take better care of themselves.
On my days off shift however, to supplement my income, I worked for Cenegenics, a pioneer in the preventative medicine space, and met the man who became my first mentor, Dr. Robert D. Willix, Jr. A cardiac surgeon and forerunner in Age Management
Medicine, his focus was primarily on maintaining health rather than just treating disease. Imagine a cardiac surgeon whose objective was to keep people off his operating table!
The patients who were benefiting were all high-end CEOs and affluent individuals. Health is undeniably wealth, and only those with the financial means seemed to have access to the transformative benefits of preventative healthcare.
I began to feel my entrepreneurial spirit stirring. I wanted to provide the same lasting solutions to everyday individuals that Cenegenics was providing to their wealthy clients. I couldn’t see why the option to take care of their health and well-being through preventative measures wasn’t available to everyone.
From my perspective, I could save far more lives than I could as a firefighter/paramedic by providing preventative health services to the masses, rather than the elite few. I’ve always had a knack for finding a need and then developing a plan to meet that need. So, with $500 in my back pocket, I founded Liquivida.
Now, a decade later, and with no outside investment of capital, I am the President & Founder of a multi-million-dollar franchise company that has created jobs and opportunities nationwide and is a rising leader in the wellness industry.
Initially conceived as an IV Vitamin Therapy lounge, Liquivida expanded to a full-service Wellness Center, encompassing alternative preventative modalities that address the individual needs of our patients from the inside out.
As we head into a new year, and resolutions for improving one’s wellness abound, what are some ways that your modern wellness services – like IV therapy and weight loss shots – can supercharge one’s New Year’s resolutions and health goals?
Sam Tejada: The different services and modalities we offer give people that extra boost. Our goal is not for the types of supplements that we offer to be a crutch, but to help give people that strong kickstart. Weight loss injections help support appetite, insulin secretion levels and digestion, so that patients feel full quicker.
They essentially are helping to enforce the lifestyle changes that the individual needs to get accustomed to in order to achieve the results they want. It’s a way for them to see that their goals are possible, and to know what they need to do on their end to achieve them.
When it comes to the nutrient IVs, depending on the individual’s needs, the IVs are going to help supplement them to their optimal levels so they can reap the full benefits those nutrients offer.
IV Vitamin Therapy addresses a variety of wellness concerns, including enhancing mood, increasing metabolism, improving mental focus and clarity, and increasing more energy levels. Alongside that, peptide therapy can also support patients in a multitude of ways, like putting on lean mass, which often goes hand in hand with weight loss goals.
What are some things people should consider when they are looking for a provider for these types of services?
Sam Tejada: The first thing people need to do is make sure they are going to a qualified medical provider. You want to look for professionals who are reputable and have notability in the industry.
They should have the appropriate training for the services they perform through a corresponding accredited organization, like AIVA (American IV Association) and A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine). Consumers can easily do this by checking on an organization’s website and simply inquiring about the practitioner’s credentials during a consultation.
Looking at the facilities that employ the practitioner is a good idea. Check to see if they are a member of certain professional associations that certify these facilities in regards to following quality standards of care and best practices. Ask how many years the provider has been providing this type of service.
Ask how many negative outcomes they have had for a person taking the type of treatment you’re interested in. If they say none, they are either not being honest with you or they don’t have enough practice providing that service.
Any great provider should be able to answer these basic questions and a potential patient should feel comfortable directly asking questions like this when you go for a consultation.
What level of medical supervision and personalization do you recommend for these services?
Sam Tejada: Any facility that offers alternative therapies and wellness solutions like those we’re talking about here, should have an MD or DO on board.
The individuals that are providing the actual services should include MDs, DOs, nurse practitioners or physician associates. As long as those types of medical professionals are onsite, having technician staff to assist with procedures is fine. When it comes to your health and wellness, nothing should be “cookie cutter.” What works for some, won’t work for others. A medical provider should always take a personal approach to your health.
That should consist of them conducting different diagnostic tests, such as a Dexascan, body composition analytics, resting metabolic rate, VO2max, comprehensive blood analysis to look at micronutrient deficiencies, looking at your hormonal imbalances, organ functions, food sensitivities and potential environmental toxins. Any program that is created for you should be personalized based on your diagnostics.
How can someone determine if they are a good candidate for IV therapy or weight loss shots? How do you assess patients at Liquivida?
Sam Tejada: It’s important to do your due diligence to determine your reasons and goals for pursuing these types of treatments, but it is equally important for the facility providing these treatments to you to do their due diligence as well.
At Liquivida, we help potential patients find out if they are a good cand for these services by first conducting a lifestyle questionnaire and lifestyle assessment to understand what type of signs and symptoms they’re experiencing and what goals they are trying to accomplish.
Alongside that, we conduct the different diagnostics mentioned above to figure out what services and modalities would be recommended based on their individual results.
Tell us about your book How to Win at Modern Wellness. Why did you write it? What do you hope readers will take away from reading it?
Sam Tejada: As I interacted with other leaders and CEOs in the wellness industry, sharing visions, discussing standards and regulations, and exploring ways to expand access to preventive treatments and modalities, I knew that to truly create a healthcare transformation, our industry really needed more. We needed more wellness-conscious individuals, more wellness centers, more med spas and preventive healthcare locations.
My vision for How To Win In Modern Wellness was an educational and inspirational guide that would inspire entrepreneurs and medical professionals and be a game-changer to the healthcare landscape.
What better way to deliver this message than to enlist the expertise of the most successful leaders in the wellness space? (Also known as my competitors!) I saw it as a collaboration that had the potential to change and even save millions of lives in this new era of health and wellness.
I hope that aspiring entrepreneurs interested in the modern wellness space and medical professionals tired of traditional sick care will see an opportunity to explore the industry from the inside and join the movement to rewrite the script of healthcare. Also, I hope that health-conscious consumers will focus on optimal health through being proactive.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to WellnessVoice and the host of this interview would like to thank Sam Tejada for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Sam Tejada or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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